By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
Background
Position: Forward
Birthdate: August 13th, 2008
Hometown: Vaasa, Finland
Height and Weight: 6’4″, 198lbs
2025-2026 Team: Boston College Eagles (Hockey East)
2025-2026 Stats: 19 games played, one goal, seven assists, 18 penalty minutes, Even Plus/Minus.
Where is He Ranked?
EliteProspects.com: 17th
Craig Button/TSN: 15th
NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters): 11th
DailyFaceoff: 13th
Sportsnet/Cosentino: 10th
Sportsnet/Bukala: 15th
Profile and Highlights
Oscar Hemming had perhaps the most unique draft year of anybody in the 2026 Draft class. His season started with a solid performance for Finland’s U18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky tournament, where he had four goals and two assists in five games, leading the Finns in scoring.
Unfortunately, Hemming would have to wait a while before he could play again. He had planned to play in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kitchener Rangers who had selected him in the first round of the CHL Import Draft, but due to a dispute with Kiekko-Espoo, his Finnish team, he was not granted the transfer to the OHL. After that, Hemming decided to try and play for the Sherwood Park Crusaders in the BCHL, but the IIHF threatened to ban him for three years of international play if he did so. This lead to Hemming deciding to enroll at Boston College for the second semester, finally giving the talented young forward a place to play.
Now, Bruins fans should know first-hand how difficult it can be for young players to jump into then NCAA and immediately have success. Dean Letourneau went his entire freshman season without scoring a goal, before netting 22 goals the following campaign. Sometimes, a player just needs some time to adjust to the speed of play in Division One College Hockey, especially in a conference like Hockey East.
Hemming was thrown right into the fire the second half of the year, as his first game was a non-conference tournament game against the reigning National Champions, Western Michigan, a task made even more difficult due to the Eagles missing James Hagens, Teddy Stiga, and Luka Radivojevic due to the World Juniors, as well as a few other players who were banged up. Hemming was a -3 in his first game, and did not register a point.
However, he started to figure it out. In his next game, against Lake Superior State, Hemming had two assists, as the Eagles hung on for a 4-3 win while shorthanded. A few weeks later, he had two assists in a 5-1 win in the Beanpot semifinal against Harvard. He scored his first collegiate goal, a late game-winner against eventual Hockey East champion Merrimack.
Hemming’s draft year was full of highs and lows. It started with a multi-month hiatus from hockey due to factors beyond his control and ended with a seven-game pointless skid with the Eagles, after registering 1-7-8 in his first 12 games. Despite all the setbacks, including not being able to compete at the U18 World Junior Championship due to his earlier dispute, Hemming still put together a pretty respectable freshman season at BC as a 17-year-old.
Why He Makes Sense for the Bruins
Hemming would bring a different element to the Bruins’ forward group when he eventually makes it to the NHL level. At 6’4″, 198-lbs, he still has some work to do to fill out his frame, but at the NCAA level he was able to showcase his physicality in his limited sample size at BC, while also showing the skill that will make him a first-round pick in this summer’s draft. It’s also a nice added bonus that Hemming has been teammates with two of the Bruins’ most promising forward prospects in James Hagens and Dean Letourneau.
On the flip side however, the Bruins will most likely own the 23rd overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, and potentially either the sixth or seventh overall selection based on the result of tomorrow’s Draft Lottery. With Hemming’s current ranking between those two ranges, the Bruins might not be in a range where selecting him makes sense based on what’s available.
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